Opera North Children's Chorus

The Selfish Giant (Wilde/Handel)
Justin Doyle (conductor)

Northern Aldborough Festival is proud to be hosting a performance by the Opera North Children’s Chorus, whose musical director is festival favourite Justin Doyle. This charming new semi-staged production, The Selfish Giant, is based on the popular children’s story by Oscar Wilde. With libretto adapted by Justin Doyle and music by George Frederic Handel, join us as we tell the beloved tale of the giant who builds a wall around his beautiful garden to keep the world out but instead learns compassion from the innocence of children.
The Opera North Children’s Chorus are kindly supported by the Backstage Trust, The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation, The Carntyne Trust, Sir George Martin Trust and the Opera North Future Fund.

Justin Doyle
Born in Lancaster, Justin Doyle was a chorister at Westminster Cathedral and studied at King’s College, Cambridge. He won second prize in the prestigious Cadaqués Orchestra Conducting Competition and was awarded the first Conductor Fellowship with the BBC Singers.
Recent engagements have included concerts with the Orchestra of Opera North, Northern Sinfonia, Hallé Orchestra, King’s Camerata, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, New London Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Haffner Orchestra, Essex Symphony Orchestra, Jersey Chamber Orchestra, regular broadcasts for BBC Radio and a cover CD for BBC Music Magazine.
He has been Artistic Director of Ryedale Festival and Swaledale Festival; education work includes University of Manchester Chorus and Opera North Children’s Chorus.
Opera includes: Carmen, TheElixir of Love, Hansel and Gretel, TheMarriage of Figaro, Dido and Aeneas, Die Fledermaus (Eastern Opera); L’infedeltà delusa (ETO); Lo Speziale (Retrospect); Orpheus and Eurydice, Orlando, Die Zauberflöte, Philemonund Baucis and Háry János (Ryedale Festival Opera). For Opera North: The Abduction from the Seraglio,Così fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, Albert Herring and, later this season, La Traviata and Swanhunter.